Framing construction of buildings is a well-known technique involving the building of frames for wall and floors using stable structural members such as wooden studs to form frames, to which sheathing and typically insulation are then applied. Other types of building construction techniques include concrete wall construction, construction using structural insulating panels, and several others. The interior walls of a building may be finished with drywall or plaster, appropriately treated, and painted or wallpapered. The exterior walls of the building can also be finished in various ways, but with most techniques it is common to first apply a thin weather or water barrier of plastic, foil, or other material having low water permeability against the exterior of the wall, the outer layer of which may be of plywood, pressboard, chipboard, oriented strand board (OSB), or other materials. Such a weather or water barrier tends to block or significantly retard the ingress of moisture due to rain, dew and other environmental phenomena towards the interior of the building, thereby to guard against moisture damage and discourage the growth of mold within the wall itself, for example.
With frame construction, it is known to insert fiberglass insulation between the studs against the exterior sheathing in order to insulate the walls and thereby retain desirably heated or cooled air within the building. However, with frame construction and other techniques for building, improved arrangements with increased insulation value are desirable, particularly in climates having periods of very cold or very hot weather, to improve the building's capacity for retaining desired temperatures within the building.